Indian government proposes ‘unique identity’ for cows

AMMONNEWS - The Indian government on Monday proposed to the country’s Supreme Court for providing a unique identification number to cows across the country, media reports have said.

According to a Times of India report, “each cow and its progeny across India should get a Unique Identification Number for tracking,” the government said in its report to the apex court.

According to the report, the animal husbandry department had assigned technicians to affix a tag with a 12-digit unique identification number inside the ear of cows.

The government has also recommended special care for cattle beyond age of milking, while stressing on launching of a scheme for distressed farmers. The center also highlighted the issue of cow protection and smuggling of cattle across India-Bangladesh border.

As per the report, nearly 100,000 technicians have been armed with 50,000 tablets and their mission is to affix a polyurethane tag on the ears of the cattle with a tag applicator. The yellow-colored tag is fixed in the center of the ear lobe.

Once the tag is fixed, the technician will use a tablet to update the number in an online database and also provide the cattle owner with an “animal health card” recording the UID number, owner’s details, status of periodic deworming and vaccinations of the animal as well as breeding details. This will help track the cattle along with all relevant details.